My initial thoughts about what aircraft to take on the “Keets heads toward where everyone else is headed, roughtly west” were tempered a bit by reading here that the DC-6 is unsupported in XP11. I bought this aircraft in 2017, having moved from FSX during the Xmas flight to Antarctica and was flying back to the UK. I think I used it for the final leg.
It was far too complicated at that time and it took me a few months after the event before I flew it again. Like most people, I have too little spare time, so prefer to fly things in the few hours I have that I can just get in and fire up/fly DCS I still prefer the A-10 as I can cold start it. I’d love to have the time to learn the Hornet and/or the Harrier for example. Fortunately @Sine_Nomine put my mind at rest with his due diligence of checking things. There may be something not right in numbers, but I’m never going to notice.
Choice made, on to leg 2.
Leg 2: EGFF (Cardiff International) - EGAA (Belfast International, Aldergrove)
Relatively short hop from Cardiff to Belfast
The first thing I’ve noticed compared to XP10 with this module is that my co-pilot, lets call him George, is a bit moody. Sometimes he happily tells me about the tasks he’s performing within the Auto flight engineer, other times he sulks and says nothing and just performs his tasks. I have no idea why he’s co-pilot with attitude, but I prefer him to talk to me.
Firing up the engines, I looked at George and asked him what was going on with the balloon hands? He reminds me of the autopilot in airplane.
Moody George or Balloon hands
Having started the engines in silence, a quick load of the flight plan into the Garmin and we’re off…
ORBX Cardiff airport… as real as it gets.
Cleaning up the aircraft, everything seems ok and I engage the Sperry autopilot.
Somewhere over Wales, isnit
The flight north was pretty uneventful. I kept checking things, but we happily cruised along at 12,000ft. Descending over Dublin, the weather started to deteriorate.
Running in from the north, the weather is filthy.
As we’re approaching the airport and I’m thinking the weather is “filthy” so it is, I can’t help myself and run through some Father Ted for George… He’s not impressed.
Happy to see the runway lights.
Getting closer I switch the Sperry to approach and we begin to descend, hitting the glideslope its all looking good.
Top Piloting, to be sure
Safely down, silent George shuts down the engines in silence.
After the doubts I had about the DC-6 and whether it would be ok, it seems to work ok so far, even with the co-pilot not doing things verbally. I’ll dig around and see if I can find out why, though its not a biggy. Having purchased this module on XP10, I’d still buy it in its current state.